73 conservation projects get Dh1.83m grants

Nearly Dh 1.83 million ($500,000) has been granted by the Mohammad Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund to various conservation efforts around the world, the Fund announced in a statement on Monday. Of the 73 conservations efforts that received the Fund’s grants, most are grass roots initiatives that aim to preserve targeted animal and plant species, including Asian water buffalos, mushrooms and tarantula species. The grants awarded were the first of three rounds of funding planned for this year, the Fund’s statement added. The Fund was established in 2008 by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Since its establishment, more than 700 international projects have received Dh 28.3 million ($7.7 million) from the Fund. “To retain the species and habitats we treasure and need, the Fund seeks to support the passion and dedication of on-the-ground champions of species conservations…In a few short years, the Fund has already become a world leader in providing this type of targeted financial support,” said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director of the Fund. For this round of grants, the Fund, which provides up to Dh 91,822 ($25,000) per project, reportedly received 430 applications within a four-month period. “We were able to offer our support to less than 20 per cent of the projects [that applied]. Although this demonstrates our high standards, more importantly it reveals the increasing pressure on our world’s threatened species,” Razan added.